Celebrity Telethon

Garage-punk? Budget rock? Man! The opening track here “Skin Flicks” sounds like a beefed-up 1969 Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum production, complete with whiny nasal-snarl vox à la Joey Levine (the voice behind most of the Ohio Express hits). The lyrics, on the other hand, seem to be about seeing your “motherf-cking mother-in-law” in a porno—or something. Lurid! Loureed? Yeah, he’s lurking around here somewhere too. And there’s one that has a slinky funky dirty sorta Voidoid/No Wave feel that reminds me of Canadian faves the Retail Simps. Back to the film theme: “(A Return) to Salem’s Lot” and “Film Noir.” Do I detect a bit of Uranium Club in here too? Maybe—check “Neighborhood Regulars.” This ain’t no retro fashion show. But that noir thing sounds a bit like something from LX Chitlin’s country-rock flirtations. There’s some more country-ish stuff, but then it turns into mutant disco. I somehow keep gettin’ flashes of Herb Alpert, but I don’t hear any horns. Glitter-rock flashes too. Mott the Hoople? It’s a big bag of influences. Wait, do I hear horns now?! They also do a pretty swell take on Stonewall Jackson’s “I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water” (I remember the Johnny Rivers from my kid years). Hey, it sounds like a party! Maybe things get a little dark, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Ya take yer fun where ya can get it. —Eddie Flowers, The Gizmos